


Starting Over

by Taika



Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22445338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taika/pseuds/Taika
Summary: Olyva meets Aidan Turner in a bar in London. Will this be the start of something new?
Relationships: Aidan Turner/Original Female Character
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, I had to replace my hard drive recently and lost the chapters of the fics I was working on. So my incomplete fics on here will not be being continued but will stay as they are. This is a new one i have begun as a response to a prompt i was given on Wattpad. Prompt was Can you write a fic where Olyva meets Aidan in a bar. This fic is based on an old Hayden Christensen fic which was lost when the hard drive died as it wasn't put up anywhere.

Chapter 1  
I entered the Outback Bar and going up to the bar ordered a drink. I was on holiday in the UK and I was hoping to relax and enjoy myself. I was single as my marriage had broken down after my estranged husband Scott’s best friend drowned and he blamed God. He had turned violent and I had had to leave him as I was pregnant and feared for my unborn child’s life. I would be a solo mother once baby arrived and the prospect was daunting. Once my drink, a glass of orange juice came I took it to a table and sat down. As I sipped my drink, I saw two dark haired men come into the bar and did a double take. One of them was my favorite actor Aidan Turner and the other was his brother Colin who I knew was married to an Australian called Leon. I was surprised Leon wasn’t with them but was more interested in watching Aidan as he looked gorgeous in dark skinny jeans and a black t-shirt which showed off his toned chest. Not that I was looking for a relationship as I was still hurting after the split with Frank. I had been very badly hurt when Scott left, and I was afraid of being hurt again. It would be a long time before I’d be ready for another relationship. Or so I thought. Aidan and Colin were at the bar ordering drinks and as they waited for their drinks, I saw Colin nudge Aidan and say something, discreetly gesturing in my direction. I guessed he’d spotted me watching Aidan. I put my head down hoping they wouldn’t come my way as I was NOT ready to meet Aidan but when I eventually lifted it again, I saw them heading in the direction of my table, drinks in hand. I took another sip from my drink to compose myself and took some deep breaths feeling rather uncomfortable. I had no idea what I would say to Aidan as I didn’t want him feeling sorry for me.

The two reached my table a few moments later and Colin asked if they could join me.  
“Mind if we join you?” he asked  
“Go for it,” I said.  
They sat down and Aidan smiled at me.  
“Colin told me you were watching me. Are you a fan?” Aidan asked.  
“Yes, I am, a big fan. I’m Olyvia, Lyv for short,” I said.  
“What brings you to the UK Lyv?” Aidan asked.  
He must have recognized my US accent.  
“I needed a break. My marriage broke down 3 months ago and it still hurts,” I said.  
“I am so sorry,” Aidan said.  
“I had to leave him as he turned violent,” I said.  
I wasn’t keen to tell him about the baby at least not at that point.  
“He sounds like a jerk. Only a jerk would hit a woman,” Aidan said.  
Colin agreed with that.  
“How are you doing. I know you had a bad breakup yourself,” I said.  
“I’m getting there. It still hurts that she was unfaithful as I didn’t think she would be. I was faithful to her so why couldn’t she be faithful to me?” Aidan asked.  
“Maybe she couldn’t handle you being away a lot if that was the case,” I said.  
“It was. We met when we were both in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot but after that we both had our own projects, so we were apart a lot,” Aidan said.

I sipped my drink as we chatted, finding myself quite comfortable talking with Aidan. He was very nice, and I could tell he was hurting as much as I was. It was nice to just talk and have a real conversation with him. I found myself telling him about Scott losing his best friend and drifting away from the Lord.  
“He changed when that happened. That’s when he started hitting me when he was angry,” I said.  
“Do you have any contact at all with him now?” Aidan asked.  
“No, I don’t,” I said.  
I had broken all contact when I left Scott, afraid that he would hit me if he came looking for me. I said as much to Aidan and he nodded.  
“Fair enough,” Aidan said.  
“Would you like to dance?” Aidan asked me.  
I hesitated unsure if I would be comfortable with that and Colin smirked at Aidan.  
“Go you. Bet you’ll score later little bro,” Colin said.  
I was not looking to score with Aidan and immediately began to feel uncomfortable. Standing I quickly began heading to the exit wanting to get away from Aidan. Once outside I sank to the ground and began to sob. Colin had ruined everything, the entire night. I had been enjoying talking to Aidan and Colin had gotten completely the wrong idea.  
“Lyv I’m sorry. I wish Colin hadn’t said that. I am NOT looking to score. I am in no way ready for anything like that,” Aidan said.  
I looked at him, my cheeks damp with tears.  
“Really,” I asked.  
“Really,” Aidan said.

He sat down beside me and smiled.  
“I’m sorry for taking off like that. Colin made me feel uncomfortable,” I said.  
“I know and I bit his head off for it. He’s sorry he upset you,” Aidan said.  
“I am not looking for a relationship. What if I was to date someone and they hurt me again. I don’t think I could bear it if someone else I loved turned violent. It hurt so bad when I had to leave Scott,” I said.  
“Lyv I would never EVER hit you not that that would mean much right now. I am a gentleman and if I ever run into that Scott jerk you used to be with and he hit you again, I’d smash his head in,” Aidan said.  
“Thank you,” I said.  
“What say we ditch this place and go somewhere else. Just you and I. Colin can make his own way home,” Aidan said.  
Alone with him? In his car? I wasn’t sure I would be comfortable with that, but I sensed that Aidan had meant it when he said he wouldn’t hurt me.  
“I promise I won’t hurt you. I just want to get to know you more. You seem to be someone I can relate to with what I’ve been going through and can talk to about it,” Aidan said.  
“Alright,” I said.  
We went back inside, and Colin apologized to me after which Aidan told him we were going somewhere else. To his credit Colin didn’t say anything else and said he was ok with making his way home.  
“Aidan was plenty ticked at me. He bit my head off after you took off,” Colin said.  
“Good,” I said.

Aidan and I left, and he took me to his car which was a flash black sports type car.  
“This is my baby,” Aidan said.  
“Very nice,” I said.  
Aidan unlocked it and I got in the passenger side. As I did my seatbelt up Aidan suggested we go to a burger bar and get a bite to eat.  
“Alright,” I said.  
On the way we continued to talk, and I finally found the courage to tell Aidan was pregnant.  
“One of the reasons I left Scott is… is that I’m having his baby. I’m going to be a solo mother and I’m scared. I don’t know how I’ll be able to support baby once he or she arrives,” I said.  
“Do you work?” Aidan asked.  
“No, I don’t. Scott was the main bread winner, so I didn’t work. After I left him I couldn’t and still can’t look for work because of baby. I’m on a benefit, but that won’t pay me enough to support baby as well as myself. I won’t get an abortion, but I may have to give baby up for adoption,” I said.  
“That sucks,” Aidan said.  
“It does but what else can I do?” I said.  
We continued to chat, and I found that I could relate to Aidan who was hurting as much as I was. He shared about the fights he and Catlin had had about them always being apart. It seemed that she felt he’d been more interested in his career than her and had left him. He’d been devastated by it and had sworn off relationships the same as I had. 

At the burger bar we went inside, and Aidan asked me what I would like to eat.  
“I can pay for it,” I said.  
“I wish to be a gentleman,” Aidan said.  
“I’m not your girlfriend,” I said.  
“It’s my treat. Don’t argue,” Aidan said.  
I gave in and told him what I would like to eat. Aidan placed our order then suggested I find us a table. So, I did and sat at the table to wait for him to bring the food over. While I waited, I thought about all that had happened that night. Aidan had been a perfect gentleman and hadn’t once done anything to hurt me. He had been friendly and caring and wasn’t looking for a relationship any more than I was. I hoped we could be friends and help each other. I had to admit I did like Aidan and wanted to spend more time with him but only as friends. My heart just wasn’t ready to be given again. I needed to deal with my fear of being hit again before I could be comfortable dating another man. I couldn’t wait to tell my friend Pamela who I was staying with about my evening as I knew she’d be surprised that I had met Aidan. When Aidan had bought the food over and sat down, we began chatting, getting to know each other better. We talked about our interests and hobbies and then I shared more about how Scott’s best friend had drowned.  
“He was never the same after that. He was angry at God and walked away from the faith we shared. I stayed with him as I felt it was the Christian thing to do. He kept apologizing for hitting me but didn’t change even though I kept praying that he would. After I discovered the pregnancy, I feared for baby’s life, so I had no choice but to leave. I know he would have been furious when I found I was gone,” I said.

Aidan wanted to know if I’d gotten a restraining order against him after I had left.  
“Yes, even though it means he can’t have access to our baby. But there’s no way I’d want him anywhere near the baby as he might hurt it,” I said.  
“I’d agree on that. He sounds very volatile. Was he very controlling after he began hitting you?” Aidan asked.  
“No, he wasn’t. He only hit me when he was angry which was often so yes, he is volatile,” I said.  
“Had he been drinking when he hit you?” Aidan asked.  
“Yes, and it didn’t take much to make him angry. He had a lot of anger in him over his friend’s death. That friend was his best man at our wedding,” I said.  
“That is understandable that he is angry. Especially if his friend’s death was preventable and he is blaming someone for the death,” Aidan said.  
“It was preventable. He went fishing and the boat they were on should never have been taken out. Scott blames the skipper of the boat for Dave’s death,” I said.  
“Honestly you don’t’ deserve to have been treated the way you were. Scott was blessed to have you as his wife and should have treated you like a princess,” Aidan said.  
“He did at first but as I said he changed after Dave’s death,” I said.  
“Perhaps his grief triggered mental illness such as depression. Grief can do funny things to people,”  
Aidan said.  
“It is possible,” I said.

After we had finished eating Aidan asked where I was staying. I told him about Pamela.  
“Can I drive you back to Pamela’s?” Aidan asked.  
“Yes, that would be lovely,” I said.  
I had been dropped at the Outback by Pamela who didn’t stay and had planned to get a taxi home. So, we headed back out to Aidan’s car and after we had gotten in, I told Aidan where Pamela lived. I directed him where to go and after we got there, Aidan turned to me.  
“Could, could I have your number? I would quite like to see you again,” Aidan said.  
I didn’t know what to think when he said that.  
“As friends I mean, Aidan said, hurriedly  
“In that case I’d like to see you again too,” I said.  
I gave Aidan my number and we hugged before I got out of the car.  
“Goodnight Aidan,” I said.  
“Goodnight,” Aidan said.  
I headed inside and found Pamela waiting to talk to me.

“Who dropped you off. I thought you were getting a taxi home,” Pamela said.  
“You won’t believe this, but Aidan Turner and his brother Colin came into the Outback. They came to my table and we got talking. I think Aidan likes me but neither of us are looking for a relationship right now,” I said.  
“Was that Aidan who dropped you off?” Pamela asked.  
“Yes, he’s lovely,” I said.  
“Girl don’t let him slip out of your hands,” Pamela said.  
“I like him but what if he turns violent. I can’t get that voice out of my head that keeps saying that what happened with Scott will just happen again,” I said.  
“You don’t know that he will. Does he want to see you again?” Pamela asked.  
“I think so. Just as friends. He’s still hurting from the breakup with Catlin so he’s not ready for another relationship yet,” I said.  
“Maybe you’ll help each other’s hearts to heal,” Pamela said.  
“Maybe,” I said.  
“At least give him a chance. It is possible he is genuinely interested in you Lyv and wouldn’t dream of hitting you. Maybe he’s a gentleman. Scott most definitely is not,” Pamela said.  
“He used to be before Dave died,” I said.  
“Does he know about you know, the baby?” Pamela asked.  
“Yes, and he seems to be supportive. But there isn’t anything he can do to help me,” I said.  
As I got ready for bed, I thought about everything that happened. I really liked Aidan and wished that I could be his girlfriend. But I couldn’t bring myself to let him date me. Not yet, not any time soon. I would need to know that he wouldn’t ever hit me or change the way Scott had. And he was hurting too and wasn’t ready for another relationship. Friendship I could deal with as that didn’t mean committing to anything. I began to pray asking God for guidance and wisdom and for him to show me what I should do regarding Aidan. 

A few days later I got a message from Aidan asking me to hang out with him on the weekend. I replied asking what he had in mind to do and he invited me to go to his place and just hang out as friends. I accepted hoping I wasn’t making a major mistake and the next day found me in Pamela’s car heading to Aidan’s place. Pamela would drop me off then Aidan would drop me back to Pamela’s later that day.  
“Relax Lyv you’re just hanging out with him as friends. This could be a brand-new start for you. Just because Scott turned into a jerk doesn’t mean Aidan will,” Pamela said.  
“I know but its very hard for me to feel comfortable around another man,” I said.  
“I am sure Aidan will put you at ease. He did a few nights ago and I saw how you lit up when you talked about him. Give him a chance and you mind find you like him more than you think. You will kick yourself if you don’t,” Pamela said.  
I had to agree with her there. I had liked Aidan for a long time and to have him interested in me was a dream come true. I would seriously kick myself if I threw this opportunity away. So I prayed that the Lord would be with me and that his hand would be on our day together.


	2. Chapter 2

When Pamela pulled up at Aidan’s place my throat was dry and my palms clammy. I wondered if I was making a big mistake. There was no going back however, and I got out of the car and took a couple of deep breaths. Aidan had heard the car pull up and had come out of his house to greet me. Upon seeing him my fears seemed to vanish and I even managed a smile.  
“Hi Lyv, how are you doing?” Aidan said.  
“I’m good,” I said.  
“You are looking lovely today,” Aidan said.  
“Thanks. You look good too,” I said looking him up and down.  
“This is my ungroomed look,” Aidan said.  
“It’s very nice,” I found myself saying,” I like the fact you’ve grown your hair again,” I added.  
“It’s for my role in the Leonardo de Vinci tv series. I wanted to wear a wig, but the director felt my own hair grown long would look better,” Aidan said.  
“You look gorgeous with long hair. Always have. It’s a shame when you chop it but I do understand that you have to go with what your director wants for each project and that you may prefer it short now a days,” I said.  
“I do. It looks stupid long,” Aidan said.  
“It just because of how curly it is. You just need to keep it tied back as you are now,” I said.  
“Let’s go inside,” Aidan said.  
He offered me his arm and I accepted with a smile. Aidan and I made our way down the drive and Aidan showed me the way in. Once inside Aidan told me to make myself at home so I sat down on the couch while Aidan got us some drinks.

“When is your baby due? You don’t look that far along yet,” Aidan said when he joined me.  
I’m 3 months or 12 weeks. I won’t begin to show for another month or so yet. I left Scott fairly soon after I discovered I was pregnant as I was afraid he might hit my stomach and injure the baby or cause me to miscarry if he beat me up and caused the baby stress,” I said.  
“You were right to leave him. The first three months are the most dangerous time in a pregnancy, so I’ve heard,” Aidan said.  
“Yes, they are. And that’s why I feared for baby if Scott hit me or it. I know someone who when pregnant got hit by her jerk of a partner in her stomach and her daughter was born with severe cerebral palsy,” I said. The trauma to her brain resulting from being hit led to the cerebral palsy,” I added.  
‘I’m sorry to hear that,” Aidan said.  
“Her daughter likely ended up in care of some sort as she couldn’t walk or talk and had to wear a nappy. She was at the severe end of the scale,” I said.  
“That sucks. I feel sorry for her mother,” Aidan said.  
“I’m just glad I won’t have to go through that. I got out in time,” I said.  
We began chatting about various things, getting to know each other. Aidan was sitting next to me, but he didn’t once try to move closer or put his arm around me. It was a conversation between two friends, and I felt comfortable with him. I shared about my life in America and my family and Aidan shared about his life. 

“This is only one of my places,” Aidan told me.  
He told me he had a place in Ireland and a place in LA for when he was over there for meetings and things. I knew he had plenty of money so wasn’t surprised he had multiple places.  
“Which one are u mostly based at?” I asked.  
“This one as I lot of my work is here in the UK,” Aidan said.  
“Nice. But you may not be in this part of the UK all the time. I guess you see the inside of a lot of hotel rooms or rental places,” I said.  
“You got that right. I’m used to it though,” Aidan said.  
“Do you work at all?” Aidan asked.  
“I work as a retail sales assistant. But obviously I will have to stop working when I am about 7 months pregnant,” I said.  
“Are you going to find out what you’re having or wait till you deliver to find out?” Aidan asked.  
“I haven’t decided,” I said.  
I had another 8 weeks to decide as my next scan was at 20 weeks. That was after I returned to the US.

“Do you know if you are carrying just one?” Aidan asked.  
“Definitely just one. I’d be showing by now if it were more than one, I can assure you,” I said.  
“How much longer are you in the UK for?” Aidan asked.  
“I’ve been here a couple of weeks so another 4 weeks,” I said.  
“What do you have planned to do for the next four weeks? Any sightseeing in mind?” Aidan asked.  
I gave him a rough outline of my plans and we talked about the places I was going to go to.  
“Would it be ok if I came with you?” Aidan asked.  
“What if we are photographed together. I don’t want people thinking we are dating. Neither of us are ready for that by a long way,” I said.  
“I’d agree on that and I guess I would have to handle it if that happened. My people may be able to make a statement that we are just friends if the media jumped to the wrong conclusion,” Aidan said.  
“You know they will. They always do. Anything to make money,” I said.  
“You aren’t showing so they won’t know you are pregnant and jump to the wrong idea about that,” Aidan said.  
“That is true but that is only until I do begin to show. I won’t be able to hide it forever,” I said.  
“I know,” Aidan said.  
I looked at him.  
“If you aren’t wanting to date why are you wanting to get to know me and spend time with me,” I asked.  
“Because I am enjoying your company. And I know you are safe to spend time with as you aren’t looking for a relationship,” Aidan said.

I could understand that. I too was enjoying his company and knew that he wouldn’t try anything as he was hurting as much as I was.  
“So how is the Leonardo project coming along?” I asked.  
“Good. We go to Italy soon to film on location there,” Aidan said.  
“I am looking forward to seeing the TV series. I’m sure you’ll be excellent as always,” I said.  
“I look forward to hearing what you think of it,” Aidan said.  
He smiled and I guessed that meant that this wasn’t a short-term friendship. I didn’t know how to feel about that as part of me was looking forward to developing this friendship with Aidan but part of me still wanted to run as far as I could from him.  
“I’ve really enjoyed your other projects and it was great to see you playing guitar in Love is Blind,” I said.  
“Thanks. I’ve dabbled in it a bit,” Aidan said.  
He got his guitar out and played some songs for me.  
“You’re pretty good for just a dabbler,” I said.  
“Do you play any instruments?” Aidan asked.  
I’ve dabbled in the piano. Nothing serious,” I said.  
We had had to learn the basics of several instruments at high school and keyboard was one of them. After that I did a few of those teach yourself things. That’s it,” I said.  
“So, like me you dabble,” Aidan said.  
“Yes, something like that,” I said.

Aidan then wanted to know if I played snooker or pool.  
“When I get the chance to which isn’t often and I’m not very good,” I said.  
“I have a pool table in my game room here. Maybe we could play a few games. That’s if you’re up to it,” Aidan said.  
“You’ll thrash me. I’m sure you’re really good,” I said.  
“It will be fun,” Aidan said.  
In the end I let him talk me into it and we went to his game room. There Aidan asked if I wanted to play pool or snooker.  
“Pool. I don’t know how to play snooker,” I admitted.  
“I could teach you. But we can play Pool first,” Aidan said.  
He set up the table for pool and I selected a cue. Then it was game on. To my surprise I didn’t do as badly as I had thought I would. I guess the playing pool on my computer had paid off.  
“You aren’t too bad,” Aidan said.  
“No, I’m surprised at how well I did,” I said.  
“I could help you improve if you like,” Aidan said.  
He smiled at me.  
“Sure, that would be great,” I said.  
Aidan came behind me and explained he’d give me some pointers on how to hold the cue and how to shoot. It meant his body was very close to mine and this made me feel hot. But at the same time my mind was screaming at me to move away from him, so it was all very confusing and making me feel uncomfortable.  
“I’m sorry Aidan but I don’t think this will work. I don’t think I can be comfortable with you this close to me,” I said.

I felt horrible saying that, but it was how I felt. So many conflicting emotions within me. Physically I liked the closeness but emotionally and mentally I wasn’t ready for it and it frightened me.  
“I can still show you stuff without physically being close,” Aidan said.  
I nodded glad he understood and didn’t question it. As he showed me various things, I found that it did help my game. As he said Aidan didn’t come too close to me again and I was able to relax. When Aidan had finished showing me things, we played another game and I found that I did better than in the first game.  
“You’re definitely improving,” Aidan said.  
“I have an excellent teacher,” I said.  
“Why thank you,” Aidan said.  
We played a few more games and then returned to the lounge where we sat and chatted until Aidan suggested we watch a movie. He turned his tv on and bought up Netflix to play a movie through there.  
“What did you have in mind to see?” I asked.  
“How about The Rise of Skywalker?” Aidan suggested.  
“Sure, sounds good to me,” I said.  
So, Aidan browsed to the movie and got it going. He was sitting beside me but a comfortable for me distance away. 

As we watched the movie I relaxed and eventually lost myself in the movie. I didn’t even notice when Aidan moved closer and slipped his arm around me. When I did finally realize, I quickly scooted away feeling uncomfortable.   
“Please don’t do that,” I said.  
“Oh, Lyv I’m sorry I forgot. It’s natural to want to snuggle up with someone you like,” Aidan said.  
“I like you too, but I can’t. I just can’t go there. This is going to take a lot of time. Please understand. The rational part of my brain knows you aren’t going to hurt me, but every other instinct of my being tells me otherwise,” I said.  
“I understand,” Aidan said.  
He moved away from me again and we resumed watching the movie. I really hoped I hadn’t hurt him by my response to him having his arm around me. At the end of the movie Aidan turned the TV off.  
“I really hope I haven’t ruined this for you,” Aidan said.  
“No, you haven’t,” I said, and meant it.  
It was good to know that he really wanted our friendship to work. Perhaps something more would come in time, but trust was something that I struggled with.

After that we had some lunch and over lunch we continued to talk about our lives. I shared more about my life in the US and about my life with Scott before he’d changed.  
“He sounds like he was a nice guy at first,” Aidan said.  
“He was at first. A very nice guy. That’s why I fell in love with him. I still struggle to understand how he could change so completely,” I said.  
“Grief can affect people in many ways and do strange things to people,” Aidan said.  
That was very true.   
“You deserve to be with someone who will treat you like a princess and always be there for you,” Aidan said.  
I found myself hoping that Aidan would be that person. I knew he’d make a wonderful step father for my unborn child and I knew that there was no way I’d want Scott to have anything to do with his child as I knew he could abuse it.  
“You also deserve to be with someone who will be loyal and faithful and not mind you being away sometimes. Your career requires that and your special someone should be someone who understands that fact,” I said.  
“Agreed,” Aidan said.  
We began talking about our musical tastes and found that we had some likes in common.   
“Perhaps we could go to a concert together some time,” Aidan said.  
“It would have to be when you aren’t tied up with a project,” I said.  
“Of course,” I said.

I then got a text from Pamela on my phone wanting to know how it was going.  
“It’s going good,” I text back.  
I would fill her in on all the details when she picked me up.  
“Lyv I just remembered; Colin is coming over later. Is that ok with you?” I know he upset you yesterday,” Aidan said.  
“Yeah its fine it will be nice to see him again,” I said.  
Inside I did feel a little trepidation but hopefully Colin wouldn’t say anything that would make me uncomfortable or upset me.  
“He’s been here on holiday from Ireland and goes back there tomorrow so wants to see me one last time,” Aidan said.  
“Fair enough. I must say I was surprised Leon isn’t with him,” I said.  
“He couldn’t get time off work so had to stay behind in Ireland,” Aidan said  
I hoped that IF in the future our friendship did develop into anything else that I would have the chance to meet Leon as well as Aidan’s parents.  
“Colin must be looking forward to getting back to him,” I said.  
“Very much so. He misses him,” Aidan said.  
“And don’t worry I have no problem with Colin and Leon being in a same sex relationship. Although their sexual orientation isn’t the same as mine, they are still regular human beings and very nice people. So, I don’t judge them for their orientation unlike a lot of people would,” I said.  
“That’s right,” Aidan said.  
He smiled.


End file.
